Night and day stadium



' April 14, 1931- F. w. ERICKSON 1,800,984 i NIGHT AND DAY STADIUM FiledJuly 31, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 17711877213? Frederic wizrz'cksanA}...li 14, 1931. F. w. ERICKSON NIGHT AND DAY STADIUM Filed July 31,1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 177216 77 "2'07" Freya m'c Mlrzicirson 5y L 62 iZarrzey Patented Apr. 14, 1931 IBEDEBIG W. ERIGKSQN, OI LARCHMONT, NEWYORK NIGHT AND DAY STADIUM Application filed July 31, 1930. Serial No.472,012.

This invention relates to structures quite commonly known as stadiumswhich are large enclosed areas used for games such as base ball, andfrequentl employed for other 5 exhibitions and assemb ages.

Base ball is a fast game, and the central object of interest is a ballof such small diameter that it must be handled in a strong light notonly to enable the players themselves to see and keep track of it, butalso that the spectators may follow the plays from the most distantpoints in the stadium.

As a whole, my resent invention relates to the same type 0 structure asthat illustrated and described in Letters Patent No. 1,711,994, issuedto me May 7, 1929, to which reference ma be had for detaileddescriptions of the o jects and advantages attained by a stadiumstructure that can be used at night and regardless of ordinarilyinclement weather. As in the structure of said patent, the roof cano yof my present invention comprises a plurality of flexible sheets orstrips of material such as canvas, and my present invention hasparticular reference to the supporting structure of said stri s and themethod of handling the same. 0 far as concerns the rest of thestructure, such as the playingfield and the seating arrangements, thestadium ma well be the same as in said patent, and t e lightingarrangements may be the same,

With the main object of the present invention being to improve thearrangement of the roof canopy strips and the handling thereof, the saidinvention consists in the structure and combinations of partssubstantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings 2- Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammaticperspective view of so much of the stadium as is included in the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is an end view, omitting the lower portion of the stadium.

Figure 3 is a view similar to a vportion of t Figure 2, on alargerscale.

a Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the storage drums.

Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4 on a larger scale.

the upper portions of the canopy strips supported thereby intheir'marginally overlapping relationship.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts or features in allof the views.

So far as the playing field and the seating arrangements are concerned,they may be of any well-known or preferred type; Figure 1 illustrates,at opposite sides of the field 12, lower seats 15 and upper seats 16,with protective roofing 17, and towers or columns 19 along oppositesides of thefield. As so far referred to, the structure ma be the sameas that of the parts or members aving the same reference numerals in thepatent refrerred to. 7

In carrying out my present invention, the tops of the towers areconnected by taut cables 20 which support the trucks to. enable thelatter to be adjusted back and forth from the towers topositions overthe longitudinal center of the playing field, as hereinafter described.i a

Each truck comprises side frame members 21 having upper shafts 22 forwheels 23 running on the cables 20 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6), and a lower shaft24 havingsheaves 25. A cross bar 26 connecting the frame members 21 iscoupled at 27 to acable 28 extending in opposite directions therefromand running over,

pulleys 29 at the tops of two 0 posite towers, and down to any suitablewin ing drums not necessary to illustrate. I As indicated by comparingFi ures 2 and 6, there are two cables 28 for eac 1 pair of trucks thatare mounted to meet each other on the cables 20, one of said two cablesbeing for one truck and the other cable for the other truck of the pair.This is to enable the trucks to be shifted in opposite directions.

Mounted on the sheaves 25 of each truck are endless cables 30 the lowerends of which are mounted on sheaves 31 supported by brackets 32projecting from lower portions of the towers 19. Said cables maybeactuated manually or by suitably applied power, as preferred.

A strip 33, of suitable substantially rigid material, connects the twocables 30 of each,

Figure 6 illustrates three of the trucks and truck (Figs. 2 and 6), andto each such strip or bar there is connected the upper transverse edgeof a flexible strip 34 of such mate rial as canvas, the upper endportion of each of such strips of canvas having sections of waterproofmaterial indicated at 3 5 in Figure 1.

The lower edge of each strip 34 is connected to a winding storage drumillustrated as a whole at 36 in-Figure 1. The drums 36 are of skeletonstructure as presently described, to reduce liability of'the canvas,when wound thereon, becoming unduly .wet during inclement weather. Andof course when the strips include theu per sections of waterproofmaterial, sai sections become protective wrappings ofthe coils of canvaswound on the drums. l

As illustrated by Figures 2, 4 and 5, each storage drum comprises atubular shaft 37 mounted in bearings in brackets 38 supported by thetowers 19. Mounted on theshaft 37 are two spiders 39 the multiple armsof which have recessed tips in which cables 40 lie, the ends of saidcables being secured to hubs 41 adjustably secured to the shaft s thatsaid cables can be maintained taut and thereby provide a skeleton coreupon which the canvas can be wound for storage when the stadium ishavingits canopy removed from overhead location. In Figure ean'd shaft 37 isillustrated as having'a pinion 42 which maybe engaged by a suitabledriving pinion not necessary to illustrate.

An im ortant feature of the present invention is-t e making of thecanopy strips 34 of such Width, and so connecting them with thecanopy-adjusting trucks, that they alternate in side-byside closelyoverlapping re lationshi as indicated in Figure 1 and more clearly ilu'strated by Figure 6. In other Words, both side edgesof every stripexcepting'the two end ones extend either over or under the edges of bothof the'next strips at opposite sides thereof, thereby ensuring to theutmost a canopyforthe playing field which 7 canopy can be adjusted toposition to effectually prevent the admission of any appreciable amountof rain down to the playing inclement weather; the strips are drawn u tothe positions indicated in'Figure 2, the upper end edges being then soclose together that little or norain can enter between them. But whenthe can- .opy is not needed, the strips can be drawn down and wound onthe drums 36. If itis' desired to have some of the canopy open and otherportions closed, thestrips can be individually operated to effectwhatever ex- 7 p osure may be desired.

Ifsom'ehappening such as the approach of a violent storm renders itdesirable to remove the entire canopiyfromoverhead position, the truckscan e quickly shifted to .ly connected with said. movable membepositions" close to the towers, and the canvas strips wound up on thestorage drums, resulting in the cables 20 being the only ermanentriggingleft over the playing fiel And this may, and preferably usually will be,the

condition of the parts during daylight in good weLathe'rfiEor.useiofftheistadium at night, interior 1 lightingarrangements are Imade'such as explained in the patent here- -inbefore-r eferred to Havingnow described my invention, I

"c1aim:r

1. A structure for use with a field for games and other events, saidstructure having cable's crossing thefield, movable members m ountedjonsaid cablesfsaid member being movable to and from abuttin relations'hi'f, and flexible canopy'j'sections lie up ertn s of which are connectedto said movable mem bers. v

1.2. A str i 1cture' ,for use withalfieldfor games andother events, saidstructure havin tall towers at opposite sides" of the "field, cable'scrossing the field and supported by's'aid towers, movable membersmounted on'said' cables, said member being. movable .to'and whichareconnected to'saidamovable members, and means connected with the otherends of said' fsections for winding themnp. structure for 3 use a'q'field. for games and other events, saidstructureihaving cables crossingthe field mo'vable 'mem-' bers mounted on said. cables, said' memberbein'g'movable to and" from abutting relationship, flexible canopysections the upper ends of which arefconnected -to said-"movablemembers, means connected withthe oth-- er ends of saidsectionsfonwindin'g them up, and means for shifting 's'aidmovablememportingfcables.

T bers to different positionsalong their sup- 7 v5. A structureforusewith afield for and other events, said structurehaving'cablescrossing the Qfield; movable members mounted, on said cables, said menberf being movable to and from abutting relationship I andfiexibl'e'canopy sejsctions overlappingeach other along their side edgesandloperative- 6. A roof canopy j'comprisin ,a' plurality of flexiblestrips, and means orjsup orting them in alternating sidef byfsiderelatonship with both side edgesiof every strip excepting the end onesextending eitherunder orover the ed es of bothstrips at 'opposite 'sides'th'er'eof?" t v 7. A roof canopy--coinprisingja' -plurali tK offlexible strips, means for supporting t em in alternating side-by-siderelationship overlap ing at both edges with both side edges 0 ever stripexcepting the end ones extendin eit er under or over the ed es of bothstrips at opposite sides thereo and means for independently shiftingsaid strips in the direction of their lengths.

8. A roof canopy structure including a plurality of flexible stripshaving waterproof sections at one end, and winding drums to which theother ends of the strips are c0nnected.

9. A roof canopy structure including a plurality of flexible strips,adjustable supports for the upper ends of the strips, said supports beinmovable to and from abutting relationship, and winding drums to whichthe other ends of the strips are connected.

10. A structure for use with a field for games and other events, saidstructure having overhead horizontally movable members, oppositelyinclined cables connected to said overhead members, flexible stripsconnected at their upper ends to said cables, and winding drums to whichthe lower ends of said strips are connected. 4

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

FREDERIG W. ERICKSON.

